


Bridges

by Steveuschrist



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Death, Episode: s04e22 No Man's Land, Gay Science Husbands, Guilt, Jerome Valeska Lives, Jerome Valeska is the Joker, M/M, Manipulation, Minor Violence, Non-Consensual Touching, Soft Jeremiah Valeska, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-05 10:32:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18364241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steveuschrist/pseuds/Steveuschrist
Summary: Jeremiah thought everything was going to work out. Jerome was stopped and put back in Arkham, and Jeremiah has plans to move in with Bruce. Plans change when Jerome breaks out.





	1. Chapter 1

Everything happened so fast. Almost too fast. Jeremiah had been so close to Bruce, he’d felt so safe in his arms, so happy to feel those lips against his own. They’d been dating for 37 days, 5 hours, 21 minutes. 

 

How had neither of them heard Bruce’s phone? Jeremiah glanced over at it. Shit, that’s right, Bruce put it on silent so that their work wouldn’t be disrupted. They were so close to perfectly the generators, put countless hours into their work. That’s why Bruce had put his phone on silent, he didn’t have any important calls planned for the whole day, and they were literally hours away from finishing the generator prototype. 

 

That’s why when Alfred spammed him with calls neither of them noticed. 

 

That’s why when Jim spammed him with calls neither of them noticed. 

 

Jeremiah, so cautious, so careful, so perfectionist about everything, had completely dropped his walls when he was with Bruce, specifically when they were making out right up against their work table. He didn’t notice the security feeds had been turned off a few minutes earlier, he didn’t notice that his wall of monitors were blank. 

 

So when there were loud thuds on the door and a group of followers with guns were suddenly in the room, Jeremiah was entirely caught off guard. Bruce was much faster than him at reacting, reaching for one of their many tools instantly and getting ready to lob it at one of the intruders. 

 

Until they heard laughter, and then Bruce froze. 

 

“Well, well,  _ well _ .” 

 

An all-too familiar ginger stepped to the front of the group, shotgun in his arms. He grinned widely at the couple. Bruce brought the tool back again, but then Jerome clicked his tongue, pointing the large weapon at the two of them. “Ah, ah, ah. Bad boy, Brucie. Put ‘er down.” 

 

Bruce slowly lowered his arm, then dropped the wrench on the table. Jerome looked the two of them over, then suddenly he gasped. “Brucie, you chose Broski over there over me? How could ya? Frankly, I’m a little hurt!” 

 

Jeremiah blinked, then realized he was holding onto Bruce’s shoulder. “It’s not-” 

 

“Oh, puhleez, Jeremiah. You’re banging the golden billionaire boy of Gotham, you should be proud!” Jerome replied as his grin returned. “Anyway, I’m here for you, brother. So Bruce, be a dear and don’t make me blast a hole in that pretty face of yours, alright? No one has to get hurt.. yet.” 

 

Bruce stiffened. “What, are you going to kill him in some grand display where the whole city can see?”

 

Jerome scoffed. “Uh, no, that would be boring. Gotta have some fun with him before we get to that. Now, move on over. I’m not keen on wasting shells.” 

 

“Wait, wait, sorry I’m late!” 

 

Jerome turns ever so slightly, a new person pushing to the front of the crowd. Donned in a newspaper top hat and an Arkham uniform like Jerome, Jervis Tetch grinned at the men. “So sorry, had to grab something, now the party is in full swing!” He pulled something out of his pocket, flashing it at the two men. “Listen to the watch.”

 

Jeremiah’s eyes instantly fell on the pocket watch he’d pulled out, and he distantly heard Bruce shout something at him, but the room fell away. All he heard was the ticking, constant, matching his heartbeat. 

 

“Now, look into my eyes, not above them, not around them, but deep into their center.” 

 

Jeremiah stepped away from Bruce. He was supposed to go with Jerome. Right. He walked over to his brother’s side, and his brother winked at him. “See? Wasn’t so hard! Come on.” He followed him out of the room, down the vast halls of the bunker. The people that Jerome had come with were following him, too. They all walked down the tiny corridors together, out into the surprisingly sunny afternoon. 

 

Jerome practically skipped next to him, shotgun over his shoulder. “Alright, Brotein shake, you ready to make some bombs?” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way too long.

Bruce sat up, pupils contracting. He looked around the room, standing up. Where was Jeremiah? What happened?

 

He grabbed his phone, trying to think as he hit ‘call’ on Jim’s contact. He rubbed his hand over his face. Jerome with a shotgun. Jervis Tetch- he’d been hypnotised? 

 

“Bruce, where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you!” 

 

The brunette shook his head. “Jim, I’m so sorry, my phone was- I didn’t see your calls. Jerome he- he came and took Jeremiah, and Tetch was with him, he hypnotized us I think.” 

 

“Jerome took Jeremiah and left you? Where are you?”

 

Bruce reached for his coat. “I’m still in the bunker, but I can be out of here in a couple minutes..” As he reached the entrance to the room, something dawned on him. “I don’t know if he took Ecco, I’ll try to find her.” 

 

“Did he say anything about what he wanted with Jeremiah?”

 

“No, he didn’t tell me anything.” Bruce made his way down the hall, turning corners to find where Ecco usually was. He really didn’t talk to her much, she was always taking care of things for Jeremiah in terms of business. He pushed open the door to what he hoped was her office. 

 

“Ecco?” 

 

He felt someone next to him suddenly. “Bruce.”

 

He looked over to his left, eyes falling on Ecco, who appeared to be standing up from the ground. “Ecco, did Tetch-?”

 

“Hypnotize me? Yes. Again. Are you alright? Where’s Jeremiah?” 

 

“Jerome took him.” Bruce brought his phone back up. “Jim, I’ll be up there soon.” Ecco walked behind her desk and pushed a button on the underside of it, dimming the lights. “Er.. we’ll both be up there soon.” 

 

“Copy, I’ve got squads already gearing up to start searching. Luckily he didn’t orchestrate a massive break out. Just him and Tetch. Alfred’s already here, worried sick about you.” 

 

“Tell him I’m alright.” Bruce replied. “I’ll see you soon, Jim.” He hung up, then turned to Ecco. “Ready to roll out?”

 

***

 

Jerome watched Jeremiah. “How the hell you learned how to do this stuff, I’ve got no idea. Oh, right! It was that fancy school and those rich folks who adopted you!” 

 

They sat in a dark building. Jerome had led Jeremiah out of the city, to the outskirts of the city. Jeremiah was working in near silence, he usually needed classical music to help get him into his work, but Tetch’s spell had taken him over entirely. He was working quickly, setting up small but powerful devices. He didn’t know it, but the work was extremely close to his and Bruce’s generators. If he wasn’t hypnotized then he would easily be able to tell that it was based off of his own designs. 

 

A familiar face entered the room, and Jerome grinned even wider if that was possible. “Scarecrow! How goes the toxin? Need more materials?”

 

The dark figure stood over the two men. “It’s in the final stages of preparation. I’ll attach the doses as planned, and then your people can begin placing everything.” 

 

“Perfect!” Jerome rubbed his hands together. “We’ve already got them all in a tizzy, just a few more steps and we go big, baby!” 

 

Crane shuffled off, returning to finish his work. Jeremiah slowed down for the briefest of moments. This seemed… wrong? Why was he doing this again? “Jerome, where’s Bruce?” 

 

Jerome clicked his tongue. “He’s fine, he’s fine. Probably a little stressed, but he’s fine. I can’t believe you of all people scored with him! He’s at the top of a lost of lists, you know! And..” He faked a sob, wiping away an invisible tear. “He chose you over me! I mean, I guess I’m less of a looker now, but still! Didn’t know he went for the quiet nerd types!”

 

Jeremiah went back to his work, the mesmerization encircling him again. The sun was starting to set, and night would give the perfect cover for Jerome’s plan. 

 

Scarecrow came out of the room again after a few more minutes. Jeremiah had finished another tiny bundle. “It’s ready.” 

 

Jerome clapped twice, then whistled for his men to come over. “You guys, gather as many of those bombs and bring them to Bag Head over there! Once you’ve loaded up a bunch, start placing them on the places marked on the map! ...Yes,  _ the  _ map! We’ve only got the one!”

 

***

 

Bruce was very glad to be out of his car. 

 

The entire drive into the city, he kept on glancing at Ecco. He’d learned rather quickly, after accidentally ‘sneaking’ into the bunker once, that Ecco was a trained fighter. He was good at disarming, but he was driving, which added an entirely new level of skill to be developed. He tried his best to be ready for an attack, for Ecco to have been hypnotised and to knock him out at any moment, but she didn’t do anything. 

 

As he entered the GCPD with Ecco on his heels, he saw officers running around in a panic. He heard his name from a familiar voice, looking to his left and walking to the police captain. “Jim! What can I do?”

 

“Well, you can start off by not givin’ me a bloody heart attack, that’s what.” Alfred snapped, standing with Lucius over a desk. “What were you thinking?”

 

“I was thinking that there would  _ not  _ be a disaster today.” Bruce replied. 

 

“I need you and Ecco to go to The Narrows, maybe he took Jeremiah there.” Jim said, and Bruce brought his attention back to him. 

 

“The Narrows is crawling with people, Jim.” Bruce replied, confused at Jim’s order. “He wouldn’t have taken him there, no, some place quiet.” 

 

“Well, we have to search the entire city, so that comes first.” Jim said. “Unless you have any better ideas?”

 

“Let’s search the outskirts of the city instead.” Bruce suggested, glancing at the people running past them. “What about Penguin? Does he know, has he come by yet? His.. people could be useful.” 

 

“Penguin hates Jerome, I haven’t heard anything from him.” Jim replied. He looked past Bruce, then focused back on him. “Look, I have to manage a lot of people right now. Just pick a place and go-  and bring flashlights, it’s going to get dark soon.” 

 

“Alright..” Bruce sighed softly as Jim brushed past him. He glanced over to Ecco, who was wandering over to the map that Lucius and Alfred were looking over. 

 

“Right then, Master B. Where we off to?” Alfred asked as he approached the three of them. 

 

“Outskirts, he needs some place where there isn’t a lot of people, right?” Bruce asked. He looked across the map. “Maybe some place that has meaning to one of them? No, no, Jerome wouldn’t make it that easy..”

 

“Well, he needs Jeremiah for something specific, right?” Lucius pointed out. “What’s something that Jeremiah can do that’s very specific to him?”

 

Bruce shook his head. “It’s a long list, he’s an engineer. Build something for him is the logical assumption.”

 

“He probably picked out the location ahead of time, as well.” Alfred said, eyes scanning the map. “He’d want to make sure that Jeremiah could finish his work in peace, in a secure place.” 

 

“There’s a giant blockade on 7th!” 

 

All four of them turned their heads to see the person who’d shouted, it was an officer near the entrance to the station. Bruce saw both Jim and Harvey turn, and Jim spoke first. “What do you mean?”

 

“Jerome’s followers! They have a bunch of cars, there’s anywhere from 20 to 50 of them, they keep running everywhere so it’s nearly impossible to count them all effectively, sir.” 

 

“What do they have in terms of weapons?” 

 

Bruce jogged down the steps to the floor of the station. A blockade? Likely to prevent squads from going out, or maybe.. “They’ve got guns, semi-automatics, no one’s been taken out, yet.” 

 

“Keep it that way, I’m not letting you risk your lives like that.” Jim replied, rubbing his face with his hand. “Keep your distances, we’ll cut off access in a two-block radius.” 

 

Bruce spoke up. “Jerome’s pulled this before. Are we sure that the blockade isn’t just a distraction?” 

 

Bruce felt something right behind him, and then suddenly every cop in the precinct had their gun pointed in his direction. He let out a short breath, raising his hand slightly. He felt the gun bump against the back of his head, and that’s when Jim called out. “Drop your weapon!” 

 

Bruce turned slightly, only a little surprised to see Ecco pointing a gun right against his temple. “She can’t, Jim. Tetch hypnotized her.” He shook his head to himself, it was so  _ obvious _ , yet he’d held out hope that she was fine. She’d even told him, whether that was part of the plan to throw him off or just her will coming through, he still didn’t know. 

 

“I’m supposed to bring you alive.” She said softly. “A shot to the leg or shoulder won’t kill you.” 

 

“That won’t be necessary.” Bruce replied, keeping his voice steady. “Where are we going?” 

 

“You already know.” She gave him a push. Bruce stepped forward, guns following him. 

 

“Oi, don’t you go walking out with a gun to my boy’s head!” Bruce heard behind him, the strong accent hitting his ears. 

 

“Stand down, Alfred.” Bruce replied, glancing over his shoulder. He looked around the precinct. “All of you, stand down.” 

 

Guns began to lower, safeties were put back on. Bruce began to walk to the entrance to the station, and Ecco ran ahead of him, turning him around so that if anyone had any ideas he would get shot instead. She led him out backwards slowly, until no more cops were in sight, and then she turned him around again. “Come on.” 

 

“Ecco..”

 

She pushed him towards the car. “Jerome will be  _ ecstatic  _ to see you.” 

 

“Do you know where Tetch is?” 

 

“Keys.” 

 

He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his keys, then unlocked his car. The gun was still pointed at him as she walked around to the passenger side, and as they got into the car together. “Drive.” 

 

Bruce glanced at the station before starting his car and heading out of the city. Ecco kept the gun pointed at him the entire time, which made it difficult to concentration admittedly. He knew that she wouldn’t shoot him, she was hypnotized to take him, not kill him. 

 

They were leaving the heart of the city as the sun fell behind the horizon, and Bruce couldn’t help the feeling of dread that washed over him as night fell. He knew this place, despised this place. It wasn’t lit up like it had been last time, and this time he could actually see it as he drove in. 

 

He pulled in front and shut off the car. Silence. No cheering, no one running around, no rides going, no death occurring. It was strangely peaceful. Eerie, a calm before a storm that Bruce was hoping he’d be able to stop. 

 

He got out of the car and started walking towards the entrance to the carnival. Ecco followed him closely into the carnival. Memories of that night were pushed to the front of Bruce’s mind. Ghost pains on his arm flared up as he looked around. Ecco bumped him with the gun. “Keep walking.” 

 

He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and began to walk, looking for the building in the dark. It proved to be a lot more difficult than he thought it would be, he was usually so good at navigating in the dark, but painful memories and little remembrance of how the carnival was laid out didn’t help.

 

Bruce passed a row of rigged and overpriced games that were dark. He glanced around, quickly spotting the building nestled in the corner of the carnival. He continued to walk towards it, catching sight of a very dim light that was on just inside the entrance. 

 

He pushed the slightly ajar door open farther. He was met with people pushing past him hurriedly, running out of the building and across the expanse of the carnival. He was pretty sure that all three of them were carrying something, but he couldn’t be sure. He glanced at Ecco for confirmation, but she just gestured for Bruce to keep going. 

 

He began to walk through, the dim lights not doing too much to help him. He thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked he realized it was him, his dark figure reflected over ten times around him. 

 

“Well, I was hoping that you’d show up eventually today! We’ve got a big show to prepare for and we can’t delay!” A familiar man suddenly appeared from around what Bruce now knew to be a corner. Bruce could make out his top hat, and then his hands came together to clap twice. 

 

The lights of the building came on one by one, blinding Bruce temporarily. He blinked hard and looked at Jervis Tetch, who was grinning. “You’ve got me. Now let Ecco go.” 

 

Tetch frowned. “My apologies, Mr. Wayne, but Ecco has yet to fulfill her purpose. The same applies to you, too! So I suggest that you listen well to what Jerome tells you!”

 

The magician spread his arms and pointed down the hall. “Come! Your love awaits you down here! He’s perfectly unharmed, you have nothing to fear!” 

 

Bruce began to walk down the hall slowly, his dark figure accompanied by Tetch’s in every mirror. 

 

_ “Hiding is just gonna make things worse..” _

 

_ “We’d make a good team, you and me..” _

 

_ “You wanna be a hero?!”  _

 

_ “Face it, kid. Gotham has no heroes.”  _

 

Bruce remembered the feeling of dried, caked makeup on his face. He remembered Jerome getting all too close to him. He remembered him leaning over him, looking at him in the mirror with a grin that Bruce could only describe as sadistic. He remembered shrinking away from Jerome as he painted a frown of blood across his lips. 

 

He continued down the hall, making a right then a left, and coming to the middle room. He almost killed Jerome, he had the glass inches away from his neck, he could’ve sliced him open and no one would’ve mourned. No one would’ve been mad at him. 

 

But he was no killer. The face he saw looking back at him in the mirror that night wasn’t his own. It had been someone else that night, someone that Bruce still couldn’t recognize. 

 

A group of people pushed past him, holding boxes or bags. He stepped into the room and turned his attention back to it, eyes quickly falling to the redhead in the corner who he recognized. “Jeremiah-”

 

“Sorry, darling. Broatmeal is a little, shall we say, occupado at the moment.” Bruce looked to his left, not at all shocked to see Jerome leaning against the wall, grinning. Seriously, how does smiling so hard so often not hurt his face?

 

“What did you make him do?” Bruce demanded lowly, clenching his fists. He looked over at him again, and Jeremiah didn’t seem to be working on anything. He was barely even moving. 

 

“Oh, come on, Bruce! There’s no fun in the game if I just tell you the answers!” Jerome replied, his grin disappearing as his brows came together. “Yeesh,  _ puuuushy _ . Don’t worry, I didn’t smack him around or anything, check for yourself if you don’t believe me.” 

 

Bruce walked over and crouched next to Jeremiah. “J..” He cupped his face in his hands. Jeremiah didn’t make direct eye contact with him, his eyes were unfocused, but from what Bruce could tell he was otherwise unharmed. He looked back at the other twin and stood. “What’s your plan, Jerome?”

 

“Tsk, you just want an answer for everything, don’tcha, Brucie?” Jerome replied. He pulled back his sleeve and looked at an imaginary watch on his wrist. “We’re runnin’ just a little behind schedule. Forgot that big brain you’ve got up there, didn’t think you’d see through that part of my plan so quickly.” 

 

Bruce took a moment to process Jerome’s word choice. “..You mean to say that I got here earlier than planned. Ecco was triggered when I mentioned the blockade being something to throw us off. I suggested that it was a distraction.” 

 

“‘Distraction’, ‘to throw us off’, ‘facade’, I had a little list for what would trigger her brain.” Tetch replied from the corner happily, and he’d been so quiet that Bruce had nearly forgotten that he was still there. “As for your redhead, the word is much more plain.” 

 

Ecco’s gun was still pointed firmly at Bruce. He knew better than to charge Jerome, though the thought was very appealing. “So you have him under control now just for the sake of it?”

 

“Uhh.. yeah. Pretty much.” Jerome agreed. “What can I say, I like seeing him suffer! You wouldn’t be able to tell it by lookin’ at him, but Jerv told me earlier that someone who went under as unwillingly as he did is gonna struggle the whole time they’re being controlled.” Jerome began to step towards Bruce. “Imagine this, Bruce: you’re doing something and you don’t know why. You know the idea isn’t your own, but you can’t stop yourself from going through with it.” He stopped right next to Bruce, Bruce could feel the heat from his body on his left shoulder and his back. “You think you want to stop, but you keep going..”    
  


He felt Jerome's hands suddenly on his shoulders, gripping them tightly. His thumbs began to rub in circles and his hands squeezed then relaxed, as if he were giving Bruce a really half-assed massage. “Something tells you that what you’re doing is wrong, that it isn’t right. Another thing tells you the opposite, that you  _ need _ to do this.” One of Jerome’s arms came around Bruce’s side and his hand began to slide down Bruce’s front. Bruce tensed up, standing still, hardly breathing. Ecco was still pointing her gun at him. He felt Jerome’s hand rub over his pec for a brief moment before it continued. 

 

“You’re moving, but your movements aren’t  _ really  _ your own.” Farther down, over Bruce’s torso. “Your body moves even though you really don’t want it to.” He could feel Jerome’s face right next to his, balanced on his shoulder. Bruce looked over to Jeremiah, and although his eyes still weren’t focused, Bruce knew  _ exactly  _ what Jerome was pulling, and it made his blood boil. “You can’t stop your limbs. You’re trapped inside your own  _ skin _ .” 

 

That hand was suddenly right over a place where Bruce could no longer take Jerome’s touch, and he grabbed his wrist, turning around in Jerome’s hold as he squeezed, pushing it at an awkward angle. His other hand was on Jerome’s throat, squeezing in a way he knew that would get Jerome’s attention. He spoke lowly through gritted teeth, dark green eyes meeting hazel. “Touch me like that again, and I  _ swear _ that you’ll regret it.” 

 

Jerome practically cackled through Bruce’s grip. “Oh, Ecco, he’s fine, this one’s on me! Jeez, Brucie, I always knew you were secretly this kinky! I’m sure when you pull this one on Brotein Shake he gets quite a thrill out of it! I’m sure the guy hidden behind thick glasses and engineering books just eats up whatever you give him!” 

 

Bruce let Jerome go and pushed him with enough force that Jerome bumped into the mirrors on the other side of the room. “Shut  _ up _ .”   

 

The mad redhead coughed a few times before standing back up straight. “Wew, you  _ have  _ gotten stronger!” Bruce felt the flare in his cheeks simmer down, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at anyone else in the room. Jerome clicked his tongue, but remained where he was. “I just don’t get it, Bruce. I bet you’ve got plenty of other rich people your age, hell, even people way older than you, chasing after you. You could have your pick of the lot, someone rollin’ in dough with a company to match your own. So why’d you take Broseidon over here?” 

 

Bruce refused to say anything to him. He didn’t have to tell him anything, Jerome was just trying to get under his skin. “Look, what’s he got that I don’t? A brain? Nah, I got that, my methods are just different than his. Money? You don’t need cash, and even if you did, I’d steal it for ya. Surely it’s not his looks, right?” 

 

Jerome suddenly walked back over to Bruce, within his line of sight. “I mean, we’re twins. Only thing that’s different is our hair, and he’s got glasses.” Jerome put his hands on his hips, looking Bruce up and down. “Hm… it can’t be what’s under the hood, right? I mean, I haven’t checked down there in 10 years, but last time we were pretty much the same-”

 

“Why are you so jealous of him?” Bruce asked suddenly, looking over at him. “I mean, last time I checked, you wanted to kill me, not date me. Or is it just a sibling rivalry thing?”

 

Jerome looked actually somewhat annoyed. He almost looked like he was pouting. “Bruce, you’re a smart guy. You know that dating-” 

 

Suddenly, an 8-bit rendition of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ filled the mirror hall, and Jerome grinned, pulling something out of his pocket. “Sorry, kid, that’s me!” He flipped it open and put it up. “Tell me the good news, bozo! We in or out?”

 

Jerome was silent as the answer came in a few seconds, and his face split into a grin. “You’re sure? All systems good to go? ..Alright!! Keep the pigs occupied, we’re on our way!” Jerome closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. “Good news, gents, and lady! Phase 2 is finished, now for 3! Jerv, you know what to do!” 

 

Bruce looked over at the magician in the corner, who was grinning. “Yes, yes, right away!” He cleared his throat. “Now, Jeremih and Ecco, in that order once I clap thrice, being oh so nice, I’ll release you from my hold without delay!” He clapped three times, and Jeremiah suddenly blinked hard, first noticing that he was on the floor, then looking around the bright room. His eyes quickly fell on Bruce, and without hesitation, he stood and ran over to him, practically shoving Jerome out of the way as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. “Bruce, Bruce, oh my god-”

 

Bruce wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him close as he rubbed his back. “I’m here, I’m here, did they hurt you?” He saw Jerome in his peripheral vision, rolling his eyes and shrugging at Jervis. Jeremiah shook his head and pulled back. 

 

“No, no, but- but *he*..” Jeremiah snapped his attention to Jerome, his usually calm and soft voice rising. “He.. he..” 

 

“I’m alright.” Bruce insisted, rubbing Jeremiah’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. He heard a gasp to his right, and Ecco clearly had snapped out of her trance. She had lowered the gun and placed it on the floor, kicking it over to Jerome just before coming out of it. She went to say something to Bruce, but Bruce shook his head. She didn’t need to apologize, he could see it on her face. 

 

“Brother! Welcome back!” Jerome grinned as Jeremiah went to Ecco, checking her for injuries that he didn’t know she didn’t have. “You played your part very well, but it’s not over just yet.” His eyes fall to Ecco. “Ecco, you did very well, too! However your next part is much smaller than Brother Dearest’s, over here.” 

 

Jerome scooped up the gun and pointed it at the three of them. “Come, now. Back out, down the hall.” 

 

Jervis grinned and happily led the way. Ecco reluctantly went first, and Jeremiah made sure that Bruce was in the middle so that Jerome wouldn’t be able to touch him. Jerome clicked his tongue. “Protective of your little rich boyfriend, hm, Brother?”

 

“Yeah, that same ‘little rich boyfriend’ who defeated you in that very room.” Jeremiah shot back, placing his hand on Bruce’s shoulder to keep physical contact with him. Jerome actually fell silent at that one. 

 

They walked back through the hall of mirrors, out to the floor of the carnival. Jeremiah walked right next to Bruce, holding his hand as if he were afraid that Bruce might get lost. Bruce squeezed it, hoping it would calm both of them down. 

 

Eventually they came out to the parking lot again, and a van that either wasn’t there earlier or that Bruce hadn’t noticed was parked on the far end. Tetch led them over, then opened the back and promptly got in. The trio followed, squishing into the bench on one side while Jervis and Jerome sat on the other. Jerome closed the back behind him, then smacked the van’s wall a couple times before sitting down. The engine roared to life and the van began to back out. 

 

Bruce figured that they were heading back to the city. He saw his beautiful sports car get smaller and smaller in the distance, but it was honestly the least of his worries. Jeremiah still held his hand.  

 

As the city came into view, Jerome began to smile. He tapped his feet excitedly, his gaze falling on Bruce and Jeremiah. He hummed, then began to sing in a sing-song voice. “Broseph and Brucie, sittin’ in a tree! F-U-C-K-I-N-G!”

 

“You’re  _ so  _ childish, you know that, right?” Jeremiah asked sharply, his grip on Bruce’s hand tightening. 

 

Jerome tapped his chin. “Hmm, which one of you is on top?” He snapped and grinned. “Oh, that’s easy, I’m sure it’s Brucie! He’s the fighter out of the two of you, after all! He probably just has to say the word and you’re on your knees for him!” 

 

Bruce shook his head, his cheeks feeling warm. Jerome’s words were honestly making him uncomfortable, but he couldn’t show that. 

 

Ecco shifted on the seat next to him, eyeing Jervis and Jerome. Jervis took out his pocketwatch, but instead of using it, he actually seemed to look at the time. “Still perfectly on-schedule!” 

 

“What are you going to do with them, Jerome?” Jeremiah asked softly. He sounded defeated, which worried Bruce. 

 

“Oh, come on, Brother Dear! Deep down you know exactly what I’m going to do!” Jerome grinned at Jervis. “Hope you weren’t too attached to that car, Bruce. You won’t be seeing it again.” 

 

Bruce’s eyes wandered over to him. “And I hope you aren’t too attached to this plan, because you’ll be stopped.” 

 

Jerome laughed. “Oh, ho, ho! The billionaire brat’s still got some of that sass to him, even now! Too bad it’s all going to waste, sorry about that, kid.” 

 

Bruce looked over to Jeremiah. “J, what did he make you work on?” 

 

Jeremiah looked from his brother to Bruce. “I.. Bruce.. it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t control myself..”

 

Bruce swallowed thickly, Jeremiah’s words filled him with dread. “Jeremiah..?”

 

“They were.. timers.” 

 

A silence hit the van. Bruce’s eyes widened, he saw Jeremiah’s eyes fill with tears. He distantly heard Jerome cackle and Jervis giggle in the seat across from them, but all he could focus on was the pain in Jeremiah’s eyes. He buried his face in his hand, tears falling down his cheeks. 

 

“A scientist is what he got, so a scientist’s work is what’s been brought!” Jervis called cheerfully. His rhymes really were not helping the situation. 

 

Bruce squeezed Jeremiah’s free hand, trying to comfort him. It wasn’t Jeremiah’s fault, but he knew that’s all that Jeremiah was thinking about. 

 

The rest of the ride was silent, not even a peep from Jerome. 

 

They were heading into a part of the city that Bruce scarcely knew. He was pretty sure it was near The Narrows, the sun had fully set and the small window in the van didn’t let him read any street signs. Suddenly the van stopped and Jerome pointed at them with the gun again. “Up and at ‘em!”

 

Jeremiah wiped his eyes and went out first. The air was crisp and cool, Bruce was a little warm in his jacket. Ecco glanced at the two of them, then they were being led into a building. Bruce could see that it was an office building of sorts, an elevator in the center of the lobby told him so.

 

Jervis padded ahead and pressed the call button, a grin crossing his face. “Jerome, I’ve come this far. I shall see you on the other side.” 

 

Jerome grinned and the two shook hands firmly. “See you on the other side, Hats. I’ll find you and Scarecrow as soon as I’m finished here.” 

 

Jervis nodded and gave Jerome is own smile, before he broke the handshake and swiftly left the building. The elevator dinged and Jerome gestured. “Up we go!” 

 

The four of them clambered into the slightly-too-small elevator. Jerome punched the number for the highest floor and they began to go up. Cheesy elevator music played as they all stood in silence. Ecco kept on glancing over at Jerome, as if she were studying him. Jeremiah seemed to be looking anywhere  _ but  _ at Jerome. Bruce didn’t need to look to know that he was smiling. 

 

The door opened and Jerome gestured for the three to file out again. Bruce saw a few chairs and a table or two, but mostly the thing that caught his eye was the sight of the city. The wall consisted of windows that ran from the floor to the ceiling. They overlooked the city, able to see police cars and ambulances racing down the tiny city streets. 

 

Jerome spread his arms wide. “We’ve got the best seats in the house, boys!” 

 

“Jerome, there’s three of us and one of you with a gun. You really think we can’t overpower you? You can’t shoot us all three of us at once.” Jeremiah suddenly spoke up. His voice was bitter, still soft, but not airy like it usually was. 

 

Jerome looked at the gun in his hand as if pondering it. “Hm.. that’s true. Well, thanks for the segway, Bromide!” 

 

Before any of them could react, before anyone could move, Jerome was aiming the gun that Ecco had, and he promptly fired it twice. 

 

She almost hit the ground, but Bruce was able to grab her. “Ecco!” Two shots in her stomach. He pressed his hand against it, and then Jeremiah was right next to him. 

 

Her breathing was labored. Bruce carefully laid her down with Jeremiah’s help. “Breathe, breathe.”

 

Jeremiah stared down at her in shock, eyes filling with tears again. He gently grabbed her shoulders. “Ecco..” Something seemed to register or snap in him, because his grip grew tighter, one of his hands going to press with Bruce’s. “Ecco!!”

 

He slipped off his suit jacket and carefully draped it over her. Bruce felt him shaking next to him, he heard the desperation in his voice. 

 

Her face was turning white as she stared up at them. Bruce couldn’t do anything, she would die within the next few minutes. Two shots to the stomach with no medical supplies. 

 

She took a breath and looked at Bruce. “I’m gonna.. I’m.. take… take care of him for me.” Her eyes became glossy as they wandered to Jeremiah. 

 

“Of course.” He said instantly, swallowing around a lump in his throat. “Don’t worry about us.”

 

She managed to move her hand and Jeremiah quickly noticed. The hand on her shoulder moved to her hand and he squeezed it. “Ecco.. I’m.. I..”

 

She laughed gently, as far as Bruce could tell it was the only time he’d heard her laugh. “I.. I knew that you paid me a ridiculous amount for a reason..” 

 

“Well, I- I never was that great of a boss..” Jeremiah got out as a sad smile crossed his face. “But we- we can still get you help..” He glanced over at Bruce, tears of defeat were in his eyes. 

 

Ecco coughed, she was clearly struggling to have her last moments with them, but a pained smile was suddenly on her face. “Didn’t have to be a good boss.. you were a great friend.” 

 

She looked at Bruce’s hand which was pressed on her abdomen, and after much hesitation Bruce lifted his pressure. He was not going to let her die painfully and slowly. 

 

Another few coughs and she squeezed Jeremiah’s hand again. She barely whispered, but even if Bruce hadn’t heard her, he’d be able to take a pretty good guess as to what she said. “Give him hell.” 

 

Jerome cackled a few feet away from them. “Heeheehee! Woo, there! Didn’t realize that shootin’ someone point-blank could be so fun!”

 

Jeremiah cradled Ecco’s head, holding her hand tightly. “I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry, Ecco.. I never meant- I never wanted to put you in danger, I always wanted you to be safe..” 

 

She gently shook her head, eyes losing focus as tears fell from them. “Just.. don’t get yourself killed..” Her eyes began to close. “You.. you, too, Bruce..” 

 

Bruce felt his entire body tense up as he watched Jeremiah start to cry again. Jeremiah carefully turned her hand over and pressed two fingers against her wrist, looking for a pulse that he knew he wouldn’t find. 

 

Jeremiah set Ecco’s arm down as if it were a small animal. He turned slightly, just enough for Bruce to see something in his eyes that he’d yet to see: pure hurt and rage. Bruce lifted up his hand, squeezing Jeremiah’s arm. They locked eyes, Bruce shook his head. Jerome had a gun, and even if he didn’t kill them, if he severely injured either of them they’d be worse off. 

 

Jeremiah sniffed, looking back at Jerome. “You.. you are..” 

 

“What exactly am I, Jeremiah?” Jerome spread his arms wide, staring down at his brother. “What meaningless word will you  _ pull _ from that  _ brilliant mind  _ of yours to utterly roast me, huh?! What jumble of consonants and vowels will you think of that describes me  _ oh so well _ ?!”  

 

Jeremiah slowly stood, eyes locked on Jerome. “You are  _ sick _ .  _ That’s  _ the word I’m going to use.” 

 

Bruce laid Ecco’s arms straight next to her, covering her face with Jeremiah’s jacket. He stood as well, gaze finally falling upon Jerome. “What do you want from us?”

 

“Bruce, for a good long while, all I wanted to do was bring you lots of pain and suffering, only to brutally murder you at the end of it all.” Jerome gazed out the massive windows. He pulled something out of his pocket, and Bruce quickly saw that it was a real watch. “Then I was taken down by you, got my face punched off, went to Arkham, made some pals. I had a lot of time to think.” He looked back at the two men, expression almost completely blank. “I realized that my attempts to drive Gotham mad failed because I was working alone. Well, I had followers, but I wasn’t working with people who had true similar goals to mine. I wasn’t working with innovators, with people who had resources or skills.” 

 

Jerome pocketed the watch. “I needed a team. I needed smart people. So I tried that with the Legion of Horribles. We had a brunch meeting and everything!” He began to pace slowly. “But, and I’ll admit it, I got a  _ bit  _ too flashy. The whole blimp thing, the bombs on people’s neck, I didn’t need some big obvious buildup that would attract the attention of a bunch of cops! I see that now.” He tucked the gun into his waistband. “Jim Gordon didn’t have to save my life. But he did. I had  _ another  _ chance to do something great, only this time, I wouldn’t rely on lackies who barely know right from left.” He stepped closer to the windows. “Come on over. Don’t worry, I won’t push either of ya. Wouldn’t drag you all the way up here and create such an elaborate plan just to kill you where no one will see it!” 

 

Bruce took a few steps forward, causing a grin to split across Jerome’s face. “There we go! You, too, Bro!” 

 

The other redhead followed Bruce, his eyes were still wet with tears. He looked out the window, refusing to acknowledge his brother. 

 

Jerome let out a content sigh. “I’m so glad that you two could join me for this memorable occasion.” He winked at the two of them. “This is a night you both will never forget.” 

 

Bruce’s eyes fell upon a tiny light far off on one of the bridges- a car speeding along and leaving the city. It was surrounded by many others, of course, traffic leaving the city was always a mess. Tiny lights on the right side of the bridge leaving the city, on the left coming into the city. Exhausted workers going home after boring office hours, excited partiers coming to clubs or bars for weekend nightlife. Bruce began to really wonder how many of the people leaving worked at his company, how many of them were satisfied with a job well done, how many were fuming because someone in their department didn’t do their job correctly- 

 

Suddenly there was a loud sound, deeper than a lightning strike, like a large train was right in the room with them. Bruce’s eyes darted to two plumes of smoke behind the bridge he’d been looking at, and his eyes widened. The other bridge began to  _ fall _ . 

 

The entire thing plummeted, bringing the cars on top of it with it. Jeremiah gasped sharply, teary eyes staring at the architecture as it fell. Bruce looked to Jerome. “What did you do?!” Cars screeched to a halt at the sudden end to pavement, the ones on the side of the city were trapped. A few people at the front slammed on their breaks in an attempt to stop, but they were going too fast and drove off, more cars falling into the water. 

 

Bruce grabbed Jerome’s shirt with both of his hands, suddenly overwhelmed, forgetting about the gun that Jerome had. “What did you  _ do _ ?!” 

 

Jerome cackled, and Bruce heard the train-like noise again. He looked back out the window just in time to see the first bridge that he’d been looking at fall. “I didn’t do anything, Brucie boy!” 

 

Bruce hit him without thinking. How many people just died? How many people were slowly drowning in the river? How many children were in those cars? Jerome shot up his hands in surrender. “I told ya,  _ I  _ didn’t do anything! It was JJ over here who rigged the bombs and the timers!” 

 

“You made him do it! He didn’t  _ want  _ to do any of it!” This wasn’t real. This was a bad dream. It was Scarecrow, he sprayed Bruce with something and he was hallucinating- 

 

The next bridge fell, and Bruce couldn’t bear to look this time. He shook Jerome. “This is  _ your  _ doing!  _ You killed all of those people _ !” 

 

“I told you I had a grand plan, Bruce!” Jerome gave him a swift kick to the shin, slipping out of his grasp. “Foolproof, no idiot would be able to mess it up! Why do the dirty work when I can get  _ others  _ to do it for me?!” Another one closer to them came down.

 

Bruce dropped to one knee, hissing in pain. “You’re an idiot, if you’ve blown all the bridges then no one can leave the city!” 

 

Jerome giggled. “No one can get in! No one can get out!” 

 

“That means that you’re stuck here with us.” Bruce snapped. When he moved to rise up again Jerome pulled out that gun. 

 

“Tsk, tsk, bad Brucie! Stay!” Bruce felt Jeremiah walk up behind him. 

 

“You..” His voice was weak, not its normal kind of softness. “Those people..”

 

Jerome shrugged. “You guys honestly think I care about a buncha random people? Pff!” He rolled his eyes and made his way to the elevator, gun still pointed at the two of them as he stepped in. He gave the two of them a dark grin, and as the elevator door closed, he spoke one last time. 

  
“Oh, stuck here with you? No, you all are stuck here with  _ me _ .” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.. hoping that this chapter is a lot more interesting than the last one. Things are starting to happen.  
> Thanks for reading, guys! Comments and kudos always appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Wew, this was a short one, I thought the cliffhanger was a good thing to end off on, and I wanna get a feel for if people are interested in this. Comments and Kudos always appreciated, but here they really help let me know if I should keep writing this! I'm having a major block with my crossover still (FeelsBadMan) but I still want to write. Been thinking this one over for a bit and decided to write up an introduction!


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